This invention relates to systems for controlling the output characteristics of electric guitars having a self-contained memory which can recall and internally produce several different combinations of control switch settings. More particularly this invention relates to a system which can select and recall individual phase, pickup selection, tone, overdrive and volume control switch settings for humbucking or single pickup coils for electric guitars.
Most guitars have either single or dual (humbucking) coil pickups located at various points along the string length of the guitar. The position and characteristics of these individual pickups individually color the sound. Electric guitars, both regular and bass, can have a number of pickups usually ranging from one to three. A musician uses the individual volumes from each pickup to blend individual outputs from the combined pickups into a desired sound output mix. A pickup selector switch is usually also provided. Also a guitar may have either a main tone control for all of the pickups together or an individual tone control for each pickup and volume control.
With this multiplicity of controls it becomes difficult to rapidly change them during a performance when a different output sound from the guitar is required. Such changes may be required within a particular song or between songs when the musicial switches from playing a rhythm part to a lead part. Also a particular output sound mix may be preferred in a certain studio or club as opposed to another location.
With normal guitars without a memory function, it is almost impossible to quickly change between these different combinations of control settings to produce precisely the output sound mixes required. What has been needed is some sort of memory system to recall and reset internally the control switches in the guitar to achieve these particular combinations of switch settings. One such attempt in the prior art is that found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,462 which issued to Jonathan Simon on Nov. 27, 1979 for "System for Selection and Phase Control of Humbucking Coils in Guitar Pickups." This early memory control system has the ability to memorize and recall and reset switches which control the output volume in only a linear mode and phase of humbucking coils in electric guitars. However the system does not appear to be self-contained readily within the guitar itself and the implementation of the phase control circuitry is flawed. There has remained a need for a memory control system which can memorize all of the normal switch controls utilized on an electric guitar which is self-contained on the guitar and utilizes control switches which are familiar to and easily utilized by musicians.